Sainte-Maxime boasts some of the most picturesque beaches on the Côte d'Azur. Whether you're looking to soak up the sun or take a refreshing dip in the Mediterranean:

- Plage de la Nartelle is the least crowded and has a range of nice restaurants/beach clubs (Prao, WYC...), but is slightly out of town so you may wish to get the local Simplibus;

- Plage de la Croisette hosts the Sainte Maxime Sailing School, for the more active amongst you;

- Plage du Centre Ville (meaning "Beach of the Town Centre) is the most convenient for those staying in the town centre and has 3-4 restaurants/sunbed rentals options!

Alternatively, there is the world-famous Plage de Pampelonne located a short drive from St Tropez.

For a baguette/croissants: O Pin Cho, Tarte Tropézienne or Boulangerie Colomb

For the complete allrounder, that's been around forever: Café Maxime

For ice-cream: Les Parfums d'Italie, which has been around forever!

For a health-conscious lunch spot: Roots

For a locals' casual dinner spot: Les Palmiers

For a "nice" dinner in town: Boho, L'Admiral or La Petite Maison

For a pizza in the centre of it all: Fato Bene

For a dinner with atmosphere into the later evening, or a late evening spot: Maimo

JAMES' RECOMMENDATIONS:

For the meal on the beach (for lunch or dinner): Le Prao on Plage de la Nartelle or Maxim' Plage on Plage de la Croisette

For the afternoon drink in town: La Rascasse or Nino, if you're wanting to be on the beach / Le Sud or Millésime, if you're wanting a shady square at the entrance to the old town

For the quick and easy cheap lunch: Le Sunset Café, in the old port area in the town centre or you could buy a baguette and a rotisserie chicken from O Pin Cho !

St Tropez?

You should definitely check out St Tropez while you're here - but it's pretty expensive (and Ste Maxime is friendlier!).

You could check out the following places for a drink:

For the iconic historical stop frequented by celebrities and French presidents: Sénéquier

For the balcony overlooking the port: Le Sube Hotel Bar

For the instagrammable spot: Dior Café

For the ice-cream while exploring: Barbarac

But - to be honest - anywhere is going to serve you a cold glass of rosé so take your pick !

If you have a car, the Pinède restaurant in not-so-well known locals' spot which offers better value in quiet area which is short drive from St Tropez town centre.

If making a week of it, and wanting to explore more of the South of France, you could:

(1) head east for a Riviera-focused itinerary, during which you could visit any combination of Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Menton, St Paul de Vence, Cap Ferrat, Èze, Villefranche-sur-Mer...

(2) head west, for a Provence-focused itinerary (particularly nice in late June, as the lavender - which is iconic in the region - is in full bloom!) during which you could visit any combination of the Gorges du Verdon, Tourtour, Gordes & other charming provençal villages (Lourmarin, Roussillon), Aix-en-Provence, Marseille...

(3) stay local, for a Gulf of St Tropez-focused itinerary, giving yourself more time to check out Saint-Tropez & Pampelonne beaches, Grimaud & Port Grimaud, the old towns of Gassin & Ramatuelle, or to do the Sentier du Littoral hiking trail !